John oversees a team of leaders that serve the churches in the Newfrontiers USA family. His primary focus is leadership training, church planting, and supporting churches in the States. John and his wife, Linda, are a part of Jubilee Church in St. Louis, MO.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

BUILDING THE CHURCH THROUGH PRAYER: Part 5

FRONT-LINE PRAYER

We need to continue to build the church through prayer. In my last blog, I introduced Jack Miller’s idea of “front-line prayers.” Front-line prayers seek God for something much bigger than prayer for our own needs. It is prayer that fully focuses on God and considers His passions and desires.

Previously I began my description with:

1. It is prayer that is focused on God’s power, presence, and kingdom.

Let’s further unfold what front-line prayer is…

2. It is a prayer that asks God for the flourishing of the Church.

You fill prayer meetings to pray for the church to grow and mature, for people to grow in Christ, for worship to be living and vibrant, and for the prayer life of the church to grow. It is praying for the church to get out of apathy, for the knowledge of the gospel to explode, and for the church to shine in the city.

3. It is a passionate desire to know God more and more.

We seek after God’s presence and we ask for Him to open the eyes of our heart so that we see Him more clearly. We begin to ask for His glory. It is going hard after Him when we gather because we want to sense His presence in our midst.

4. It is bold, specific and persistent prayer.

We pray for particular people groups and neighborhoods. We seek out God’s grace for them. We don’t let Him go until we see people coming to know Jesus.

5. It is prevailing corporate prayer

When you spread coals out, a fire dies down. When you bring them together, the fire begins to roar. Likewise as believers, we must pray together to keep ourselves hot for God. We must gather together corporately and pray.

May our churches look to God more fully with such bold and prevailing prayer! May we see many in our communities come into His kingdom as we experience His presence together!